The Immortal Queen
by SteelSings
Summary: How did Thayet become an immortal Queen, who transcended myths and legends? Slight AU, rated for caution. On Hiatus!
1. ProlougeDisclaimer

Hi everyone!

Just to let you know this is my first fanfic ever! I've been reading everyone else's for years and I decided to give it a go. So let me know what you think, all constructive reviews are welcomed

**Summary:**

Whilst out with the Riders, Thayet comes across an interesting person, will they lead her into temptation? What do you do when you wake up and find that your time has almost passed?

**Disclaimer:**

None of the characters in my story belong to me, they belong to the legendary Tamora Pierce *bows to her mightiness*.

What might be mine is the premise of the story, as I have not read any other stories that follow this line, but if you are the author of one that is similar I apologise deeply and please contact me to let me know.

This might be a one shot, or possibly an extended one shot (i.e. two chapters) Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story.

Steel

xxx


	2. Chapter 1

How did Thayet become an immortal Queen, who transcended myths and legends?

It was raiding season of 454 H.E., the eighteenth year of King Jonathan and Queen Thayet's reign, and the fiery leaves of autumn were falling from the once green trees around The Golden Lake. A peaceful setting if ever there was one, a peace that was momentarily broken by the hooves of ponies and the chatter of friends on their way home. This is the Group Askew, with one very special addition...  
A hazel eyed, raven haired rider fell behind the group. She looked towards the setting sun, enjoying the feel of the last rays of the day sinking into her skin, bringing a slight glow to her cheeks. A slow smile spread across her face, reaching the creases of her eyes as she spurred her pony on to catch up with the rest of the group.

Thayet, Queen of Tortall, was enjoying her time out of the palace; away from all the courtiers trying to gain favour, and the games that they played with both herself and her husband. She was enjoying spending time in the open air, under canvas with clear open skies , with comrades in arms and her away from her loveable, although somewhat annoying children.  
She liked the way she was treated by the Riders, with a sort of benevolent disrespect. She was not the queen to them, in fact she was barely a commander, except when it mattered of course. She was one of the group, who ate from their pot, drank from their water skins and who slept in their camp. She was not her Majesty Queen Thayet of Tortall, she was Thayet. She had only a small golden crown on her helmet, and gold earbobs to show her true royal heritage.

A Group Askew were on their way home to the Palace from their station, just north of Fief Golden Lake where there had been some particularly bad raids during the harvesting season, depleting many important reserves. They had left the Palace itself two months ago, when the Court had gone to the summer Palace by the coast. She had only been allowed to leave by special request, from her to her husband, who only very rarely refused anything that Thayet truly desired, be it a new dress, some beautiful jewellery or in this case a break from court triviality.  
She had been allowed her break on the premise that the country near The Golden Lake was relatively clear of bandits and raiders, and for the most part it had been. There had been several skirmishes with those trying to steal what they could not afford to purchase and therefore attempting to steal it instead. Mostly from hard working commoners, who mostly struggled to make ends meet. Although The Riders could not stop all thefts and recover all stolen produce, they did their best and were often thanked for their efforts.

On this one particular night the Riders had set up camp on the outskirts of a local wood, their tents were clustered relatively closely together for safety with a fire at the centre of them. Thayet sat on a log, which was conveniently close to the fire, trying to warm herself in the crisp night air. As she slowly let her long raven hair out of its braids, she raised her eyes to the sky once more to see the stars in their many formations sparkling down at her like rows of diamonds in the sky.  
Turning her attention back to earth again she looked at her comrades, she could see the exhaustion in their faces, the sallow skin that was often hidden under a layer of mud, and the dark circles under their eyes. They had never intended to be out of the palace for so long, a few weeks at the most, not two whole months away from family and friends and nice comfortable beds. Thayet herself felt weary as she stretched the muscles in her back, and then went back to finger combing her hair as she listened in on her colleague's conversation.

"You've got to be kidding, you think it's another two weeks ride to Corus?" complained a mousy haired woman to a taller older man.

"At least, if not longer. The beasts are as weary as we are; for they've had no rest either. They can't be pushed above walkin' speed for most of the way, or else we'll end up with dead horses at our feet." He commented back.

"You'd better not be telling falsehoods Luc, I am in no mood for your jokes." Muttered Alicia, the mousy haired woman.

"May the Trickster smite me if I lie," he bowed mockingly to her from his seat. "Thayet, what's your thoughts on this matter?"

Thayet, who had been staring at a knot in a tree trunk, heard her name and her head snapped round to look for the speaker. Spying Luc sitting at the base of a tree, looking pointedly at her, she responded;

"Aye, it would be two weeks if we continued on tomorrow. What I propose is we stay here for a few days, we have My Lord of Golden Lake's permission to hunt on his land, and that way we can rest the ponies and then continue on to Corus at a fairer pace."

As she finished speaking she looked away, back into space, or perhaps more specifically into the darkness of the wood where she could have sworn something moved...

_There you are, hope thats an ok first chapter? I know its a tiny bit of a cliff hanger but I promise I'll post soon... Probably by Friday at the very latest. Anywho, thank you for taking the time to read it. And I suppose the only thing left to say is review review review!_

_Steel_


	3. Chapter 2

_Hey to those reading my story, just a quick thanks to__** Lady Shang1**__ for the story alert __ well here you go..._

As Thayet lay in her bedroll one bright morning, listening to the sounds of the forest, she realised just how relaxing being away from the palace was. She had no tension in her shoulders, no crick in her neck and no splitting head ache. She loved this lifestyle more and more, with age.  
With a small sigh, she decided to get out of bed and tend to her horse, who was probably enjoying the rest as much as Thayet herself. As a gift from her husband she would have been duty bound to like him, it was just very convenient that Jonathan knew her tastes. Jewel was exactly that, he was Thayets pride and joy. He was a Saren breed, not quite like Tortallan horses, much finer boned. He was jet black apart from one white sock on his rear left foot.

Gently grooming Jewel, who stood tethered under a tree, Thayet let her mind wander again. Thinking about nothing was one of the Queens favourite past times, as it involved no energy and actually relaxed her somewhat. For although the Queen would never show it, she spent much of her time at the palace feeling rather harassed due to the demands of court life. Her only respite was when she was with her children, and even then they stressed her in a different way. She loved nothing more than spending time outside away from everyone, just with nature.  
However, there was something about the wood they were camped next to that just didn't feel right, over the last few days they had been staying there she had been growing more and more suspicious about what may or may not lurk in that wood.  
One evening when she aired her concerns with Group Askew Commander Luc they were dismissed with a wave of the hand and an explanation about eastern woods and their inhabitants. This did not settle Thayet in the slightest, but she decided not to take it any further without evidence.

The Riders may have been camped, but this did not mean that they were excused from performing their normal duties, and this included night watch. After four days of staying in their current camp, Thayet was called to do her duty while her comrades slept.  
She stood by the slowly dimming fire, eyes searching in the darkness, looking for something that they could and would not see. After about an hour of scanning the dark wood, she slowly sank to a stool close to the dying fire, in order to keep warm. She kept her slightly re-curved sword in easy reach, her bow was similarly placed.  
As the sky darkened Thayet began to rely less on her eyes, and more on her ears. She could hear the fluttering wings of bats as they flitted in and out of the trees catching the insects and moths that would make up their dinner. Wolves howling in the distance raised alarm bells in her head, but quickly discounted them as she recognised that they were no threat to the camp or its occupants.

Thayet's mind drifted again, as it was prone to do when there was nothing to occupy it, she thought of when she was younger and the adventures she had with Buri at her side, the times when they had felt invincible together. Even later on, when they had gone to the Roof of the World with Alanna and Liam, the excitement had filled her to the brim giving her mind some simulation rather than the endless monotony she experienced at the palace. Oh she loved her family, there was no doubt about that, she lived and would die to protect them should the need ever come. It was more the situation in which their family had happened which had frustrated her, being in public view all the time. Even when Kalasain had been born, all people had wanted to talk about was that fact that she wasn't a boy! Could they not just be happy that their king and queen had a healthy child, with the possibility of more on the way at a later stage? No, of course they couldn't, but that is the circus of court life she supposed.

Slowly Thayet became aware that the sounds that she had been listening to previously had slowly faded away into silence, there was no sound at all, not a single peep. Immediately on edge Thayet stood up quickly sword sheathed at waist, bow in her hands at the ready. Ready for what? She did not know. Animals often went quiet when something disturbed them, but there would have been alarm calls if they had just been disturbed surely? No, this was something else, this was pure unadulterated fear that had simply made the animals too terrified to make a sound. But what could scare wolves so? Thayet did not like her current thoughts, they made her uneasy.

She pondered sounding the alarm herself, and awaking her friends, but she dismissed it quickly. By sounding the alarm not only would she be drawing attention to herself and the camp but also the noise that her friends made would be obvious. Better that she stay silent and hope that whatever or whoever it was passed them by. Hopefully.

She could hear something. Crunching. In the trees. Footfalls. She was sure of it. It was definitely the sound of feet falling on the brittle autumn leaves. Someone was padding along in the woods around her, she tried desperately to locate the sound but struggled. The sound seemed to be coming from all directions at once, but that is impossible isn't it?

Thayet opened her mouth to shout for her comrades when she felt something at her back. She whirled around, and caught a glimpse of glowing eyes. Not animal, no they were far too intelligent to be animal but not quite human either, and the light that seemed to emanate from them took her breath away. If this creatures eyes had not been so remarkable then the face behind the eyes would have certainly taken her breath away. The face was more than beautiful, to look at it for too long hurt her eyes. The chiselled features were certainly masculine and extremely handsome, but there was no warmth in his face or eyes. He was cold.

A hand reached out and stroked her cheek, by this time she was too shocked to scream. As he began to walk around her, she heard a faint whisper...

"Yes... You'll do nicely..."

About to turn around and ask him what he meant, she stopped short when she felt a blinding pain in her shoulder, as what felt like teeth pieced her skin. She crumpled like flower, crushed beneath a boot, with just the tiniest whimper of pain...

"Oh Goddess," she thought, "what is to become of me now...?"

_Sorry! Yet another cliffy! Ok, this is turning out to be longer than I thought. Oh well, sorry this wasn't posted yesterday, it was finished I just happened to be moving back home yesterday so everything was topsy turvy. Sorted now, so review please!_

_Steel_

_xxxx_


	4. Chapter 3

_Hello! I'm back again, this story seems to be going on a rather lot longer than I intended, but I'm just going to go with it. Thanks to my currently lone reviewer __**Children-of-the-Blood**__ I hope the story remains up to your standard._

_Recap:  
A hand reached out and stroked her cheek, by this time she was too shocked to scream. As he began to walk around her, she heard a faint whisper..._

"_Yes... You'll do nicely..."_

_About to turn around and ask him what he meant, she stopped short when she felt a blinding pain in her shoulder, as what felt like teeth pieced her skin. She crumpled like flower, crushed beneath a boot, with just the tiniest whimper of pain... _

The pain coursed through her body, no part of her body remained untouched by the agony which ran through her. Her body writhed on the forest floor, her screams echoing eerily off the trees which surrounded her.

All the while the beautiful stranger watched her with sad eyes; he wasn't as cold as Thayet had thought him. In fact he felt quite a lot, which was why he had been looking for someone to spend eternity with him. Someone beautiful, courageous, someone who he thought he could love.  
He ventured closer to her, admiring her porcelain skin, beautiful complexion and her pert lips. He noticed the odd grey hair in her raven locks and slight lines around her eyes and mouth, and smiled to himself. The process that he had begun would rid her on any signs of aging, for this she would surely thank him...

However at the same moment Thayet's mind was preoccupied with one thing, the torture through which she was going. It felt like all her muscles were going into cramp at once, causing every single part of her body to arch. Her fingers curled like claws against the pain, her spine arched and slumped sporadically, her tormented eyes rolled back into her head. Her throat felt like it was on fire, as her anguished voice strained and began to break from the screaming.

The stranger left Thayet briefly to return to her camp. As he stood in the shadow of a tree, he watched the camp which was illuminated by a brilliant moon. There appeared to be no movement, which meant that their guard had not been discovered as missing yet. However, he knew that the humans would awake soon as the first glimpses of the sun's rays were visible against the horizon signifying the end of Thayet's night of terror and the beginning of the day.  
He returned to Thayet's squirming body, and picked her up gently in his arms, enjoying how she seemed to take comfort at being in his arms. He caressed her hair gently, and breathed in her lingering heavenly human scent, but he could tell that the smell was fading and being replaced by something else, something stronger. More like him. He smiled at this prospect; he finally had someone to join him, to roam the world with.

Thayet felt someone lifting her, and she thought her salvation had arrived, they had found her surely? The pain too was starting to fade; she felt it only in her shoulders where the pain had originated from. She sensed herself being placed on a much harder surface than she had been on before, more like stone. But once where she may have found lying on stone uncomfortable, she noted that this stone felt like the softest mattress. Her body adjusted to it in a way she did not expect.

Her body gave one final shudder of rebellion against the alien feelings then surrendered wholeheartedly, and the pain that Thayet was experiencing ended abruptly.  
She lay still for what felt like a few moments, wary that the debilitating pain may return, however when it did not she opened her eyes and sat up.

Looking down at herself she frowned slightly, she was wearing a beautiful gown of icy blue silk with delicate midnight blue slippers. She had been wearing breeches and a shirt for as far as she could remember. She raised her hands in front of her and gasped. Her delicate but calloused hands were gone, what replaced them were ladies hands. Small, perfectly formed, un-calloused hands, but perhaps most surprising of all were her nails. Her nails had never been beautiful, they were always cracking or ripping; but now they were silver with perfectly rounded edges.  
Thayet reached out with one hand, a finger outstretched. She ran her nail against the rock she sat on and was shocked to find that she managed to create a curl of rock with a nail.

"The strength is wonderful, is it not?" The silky voice startled Thayet.

She turned to find the beautiful stranger staring at her, smiling. His appearance was neat and clean, his clothes were of fine thread however they were distinctly out of fashion. As was, she noted, her own gown.  
When he noted that she had not answered him, he tried again.

"I am Rufus," he faltered slightly at her expression, "And who, may I ask, are you?"

Thayet was glaring at him, and unbeknownst to her, she had the most terrifying expression on her face. She stood and raised her chin in arrogance to him.

"I am Thayet of Conté," she paused, "Queen of Tortall"

If an immortal could look shocked, he most certainly did.

"You're the Queen? But you have no wedding band, no crown, no sign of royalty at all. And why would the queen be roaming the countryside unprotected?" Rufus spluttered.

Thayet stared at him, not quite speechless.

"What have you done to me," she shrieked, "Why do I have silver nails and different hands? And why did it hurt so?"

She glared at him, he meekly handed her a sliver framed mirror. She looked at him curiously, puzzled by what he wanted her to do. She raised the mirror to her face and let out a blood curdling scream...

_Hehehe I love cliff-hangers! Anyway hope its all ok, I've got more of an incentive to write if I have reviews..._

_Steel  
xxx_


	5. Chapter 4

_Hello! Here's Chapter 4 for my lovely readers...(particularly Children-of-the-Blood) Hope you enjoy._

_Summary_

"_What have you done to me," she shrieked, "Why do I have silver nails and different hands? And why did it hurt so?"_

_She glared at him, he meekly handed her a sliver framed mirror. She looked at him curiously, puzzled by what he wanted her to do. She raised the mirror to her face and let out a blood curdling scream..._

The reflection looking back at Thayet, terrified her to her bones. There was no way this was her.  
Her face remained relatively unchanged, her cheek bones were perhaps a little more angled, her lips were certainly fuller and her skin was now as flawless as it once had been. The lines around her eyes and lips had disappeared, her skin was tight and the small hollows under her cheek bones that she had once possessed had returned.  
But perhaps what had caused Thayet to scream, and what frightened her more than anything, were her eyes. No longer were they her distinctive hazel colour, her brown and green flecked irises were no more. In their place was a piercing, eerie blue. They were the blue of the sky when seen through ice, with an unnatural silver ring around the outside. However, what took her a moment to realise was that her new eyes were glowing softly in the dim light of the cave. They gently illuminated her whole face, her new face.

Thayet no longer looked nearly 40, nor did she feel like it. She felt as fresh and young as she had done at 21. She turned to look at Rufus who was subtly trying to hide behind a rock; Thayet got the feeling that she was more than he had bargained for.

"You didn't answer my question, Sir. What have you done to me?"

"I have changed you, to be like me...?" He began sounding assertive, and ended almost with a question as those brand new blue eyes bore into him. "I want you to be my companion, to travel the world with me and to live forever. Your beauty was unparalleled as a human, and will certainly never be bested as an immortal..."

She glared at him, "But what are we?"

Rufus was becoming more timid by the second, "There is no name for what we are, well none that I have come across. We are immortals most certainly, our nails are proof of that, but we have no given name."

Thayet sat down again and tried to think clearly. So she was immortal, beautiful too, but she was not human anymore, and it was this particular barrier that created most problems in her mind. How could she go back to court? Would she even be able to? Had her comrades in the camp reported her missing? Maybe she should go with Rufus? No, of course not, she may be his kind now but he had still done this to her. He was the one who had created all these problems and questions! He was the one who had made it that she would never see her family again! HOW DARE HE?

Her eyes gave her away as the flicked towards Rufus, and he could see the fury in them. She stood faster that even his eye could track, screamed a bone chilling war cry at him, and hurled herself across the cave at him before he could even blink.

Meanwhile back at the camp, it was a hive of activity. Their lone night guard was gone, with no signs of a tussle or fight. All that was left of her were her sword and bow, and a few drops of blood that lingered on the ground.  
Thayet had been gone for the rest of the night and half a day. Of course Luc, the commander, had reported her missing immediately and had been in constant communication with the worry fraught King. Help had been enlisted from all angles; all the mages who had some aptitude for scrying were doing so. Though Numair reported that they could not see her, and whenever they tried to see her, the view would be shrouded in silver fog. Daine had been enlisted to ask the animals of the area to help with the search, which they did, but none reported seeing the Queen at all.

However it was of the utmost importance that the disappearance of the most respected, and loved, queen for some time was kept secret. The country could not know, else there would be uproar everywhere. Only the eldest of the Royal children were informed, Roald who was soon to meet his Yamani Princess was heartbroken at the loss of his mother, but provided the support his father needed to go on governing his kingdom.

The search for the Queen went on for many weeks, discreetly. During this time, the courts were told that the Queen was very ill and confined to quarters with a strict no visiting policy. They seemed to believe this with little persuasion, and only passed one well wishing to the royal family.  
During those many weeks King Jonathan began to lose hope, he knew that Thayet would not have gone without a fight, and had she still been alive she would have been doing anything to return to their family and to him.

The Courtiers watched as their King became more withdrawn from court life, under the pretence of spending time with his wife; from this they gathered that she must be very ill indeed.  
So when it was announced to the court and the country that Queen Thayet had died, it only confirmed their fears.

A grand royal funeral was held for her, with sombre parades through the streets, her closed coffin lay in state for a week while all the mourners trailed silently passed, paying their last respects to their queen.

The King declared 6 months of mourning for his lost wife, who had 'officially' died of unicorn fever, during this time no celebrations were to be held, and mourning was to be worn.

As the year anniversary of Thayet's death came around, it seemed clear to all that the King was no longer functioning normally. He paid little interest in the affairs of state anymore, preferring to school Roald in the office of a King.  
Prince Roald had married Princess Shinkokami, and the line of succession was going to be secured by the birth of their first child in roughly 4 months time.

The King spent more and more time alone in the Royal Chambers, head bent over his scrying mirror, a portrait of his beloved beside him... Wasting away, waiting for her to return to him...

_Authors Note:_

_I'm sorry I know my timeline is a bit out, I only just got my Protector of the Small books back and their most handy time line feature so now I realise I'm about 6 years out so I much apologise.  
I don't really know where this story will end up right at the moment so if anyone has any ideas, do feel free to let me know in a review._

_Also thank you to __**Children-of-the-Blood**__ for the very uplifting review. I hope this chapter has satisfied a few of your thoughts. And look! I updated the next day, aren't I nice? Hehehe_

_Anyway, love to you all._

_Steel  
xxx_


	6. Chapter 5

_Sorry its so late, I've been rather disheartened at the lack of reviews from anyone but __**Children-of-the-Blood**__ so I've not felt like putting much time into this. I am definitely going to finish it, but since hardly anyone seems interested, I'll take my time unless interest picks up. Sorry guys, I'll try and still make it good for those who are reading..._

Thayet snarled at Rufus who was sprawled out on the damp cave floor. She had never felt so wild and uncontrolled, she felt like she could run for days and never run out of breath. The sensation was beautiful. Having effectively defeated Rufus, Thayet looked around her habitat, searching for an escape. The cavern she found herself in had a very high ceiling with some small holes which let in some natural light, and the cave itself was relatively large. Scanning around the room she looked for an obvious opening by which they came in, however there were no obvious breaks in the cave walls that would have allowed them entry. Frowning she ran forward to the wall, reaching out to touch the cool rock, feeling for possible fault lines any cracks that might give away an entrance. She ran her hands over every side of the cave but was unable to find any. Growling in frustration, she turned to look briefly at Rufus who was still slumped against the wall she had thrown him, eyes closed apparently unconscious. Curious, she moved closer to him, sinking into as much of a crouch as her gown would allow, and examined him. He was unresponsive to her, however, the back of his head appeared undamaged from where his head had hit the wall. She frowned again, extremely confused by this turn of events.

Thayet sat down on the stone tablet where she had originally lain, she was frustrated that she was unable to get out, nor did she know how long she had been there for or how long she had been like this. She looked in vain at the holes in the ceiling, surely there was no way that she could reach them? Standing and bending her knees, she sprung into the air rising at least 15 feet high, it wasn't enough to reach the small holes of light. Growling her frustration, Thayet settled down in the opposite corner to Rufus, she brought her legs under her body and leaned back against the wall. She had hoped that when she closed her eyes that she might be able to sleep, this proved to be false. Her mind simply did not want to fall asleep, so instead she tried doing as The Riders did every night in the mess hall, she meditated.

In her mind's eye she could see her husband, bent over small mirror in what appeared to be their chambers. However this was not a memory of Jonathan, and she had never seen him looking like this. His hair was heavily flecked with silver; his beautiful sapphire eyes were sunken into his face, giving him an extremely haggard look. While she was watching him, he let out a soft moan and she could have sworn that he moaned her name.

"Thayet..."

Just at that moment there was a knock at his door, and his gaze shifted listlessly towards the door.

"Sire?" a familiar voice drifted through the heavy oak door, "Sire, we know you're in there. Open the door. We're all worried about you."

The King looked back at the grey smoke in the mirror and sighed, he made no effort to answer those at the door.  
After a moment, the same voice called again.

"Jonathan, do not make me break this door down. Because you know I will if you force me too, and I'd rather not as this is a particularly nice door..."

A second voice that sounded suspiciously like Raoul said,

"Don't open the door Jon! I'd love to see someone as tiny as Alanna physically break down a door!"

"Who said anything about physically, Raoul?" The first voice of Alanna asked.

There was a loud thump outside the door and a howl of pain. At this, the King smiled a little.

"Owwwwww! What did you do that for fire top?"

"To show you, Raoul, that just because I am not as big as you does not mean that I am weaker than you. Now Jonathan open this door or I will!"

The Kings smile subsided, and he made no move to open the door. After a few moments, there was a swirl of purple fire behind him and he heard the lock click open and the groan of the hinges on the door.

Thayet, who was looking down on the situation, looked up as Lady Alanna and Lord Raoul came through the door into what was the Kings study. To Thayet's surprise they too both looked older, there were heavy lines around Alanna's eyes and mouth and her hair was getting lighter as the grey mixed in with her striking red. Lord Raoul too had considerably more grey in his hair but what was perhaps more noticeable was the way he fiddled with a shiny new wedding band around his finger. Who had he married she thought? Surely she had not been away this long.

Alanna stomped over the Jon's study and snatched the scrying glass away from him then flicked his ear causing him to yelp and look at her.

"Jon, what are you doing? You're wasting away in these miserable rooms when your son and daughter-in-law need you. They are trying to rule your country, with Gary's help, and you're sitting in here moping? Do you know what? You are doing to them exactly what your father did to you. You are leaving your son, unsupported to worry about the country, when he has more important things to focus on like his wife and their baby."

She sighed and her shoulders slumped,

"We know you loved Thayet, Jon. Gods, we all loved her to an extent. But she wouldn't want you to waste the rest of your life pining for her when she's gone."

When Jon gave Alanna a piercing look, she responded,

"No, I don't mean that you have to replace Thayet with someone else. But at least see your children? When was the last time you saw Roald? Or wrote to Kalasin? And the younger ones are our making mischief, unchecked by anyone because only you have authority over them, not just as the King but as their father."

The King sighed, and stood up from his chair. He looked at Alanna and held out his hand to her, she put her hand in his and stepped forward to hug him. Raoul felt a tad uncomfortable as he watched the two of them, everyone knew they had history but he wondered how much of that was buried in the past.  
As they pulled apart Alanna eyed the King critically,

"How long has it been since you had a bath and some new clothes?" She sighed, "On second thoughts, don't answer that I'm not sure I want to know having just hugged you. I'll speak to the staff and have them set you a bath as soon as is possible, and as you're going to come to dinner with me tonight put something regalish on. The pages and squires eat around 6.30 so I'll meet you here at the 6 o'clock bell."

And with that Alanna trotted out of the door as the King and Raoul looked after her.  
Raoul looked at the King and smiled,

"Don't worry, it won't be just you and her tonight, I also have the joy of eating with Training Mistress Alanna. Gods help us. See you later"

And with that Raoul too departed. What only Thayet had noticed was that Jonathan had not spoken a single word to his visitors. And when they left he had turned around on his chair and looked at the portrait of her, he picked it up gently and kissed her face and gently whispered.

"I miss you..."

And with that Thayet's vision went black, and she saw no more, but neither did she awake.

In fact, she (and Rufus) remained unmoving and perfectly still for 15 years.

Until a tremor in the earth caused some rocks to give way and come crashing down into their crypt, as the rocks struck her, Thayet's intense blue eyes snapped open once again...

_There you are folks, Chapter 5._

_**Children-of-the-Blood:**__ I'd just like to thank you for your continuing reviews, they really are keeping me going. I hope this chapter kept up to your standards, and as you can see I kind of incorporated your idea in. Don't worry this isn't the end of the story either!_

_Don't worry this isn't the end, I hope to update again before the weekend._

_Love to you all,_

_Steel  
xxx_


	7. Chapter 6

_Yay more reviews, they make me happy! So here you go guys, Chapter 6._

Thayet's wide blue eyes snapped open as debris from the earth tremor hit her, she was surprised though when the rocks didn't hurt her, just felt like an irritation on her skin.  
She stared up and blinked as the sunlight stuck her. The roof and part of one wall of the cave they were in, had fallen in on itself creating a place easily big enough for her to get out of.  
As she looked around, she also looked down at herself and was horrified to find herself covered in spiders' webs. Consequently she let loose a scream so piercing that some more rubble gave up the fight against gravity and clattered to the cave floor. Alarmed, Thayet looked up to where the debris had fallen. Where Rufus had been lying.  
Suddenly in a panic that she didn't understand, Thayet scrambled over to the pile of rubble lying beneath the large hole and illuminated by dazzling sunlight. She gasped as she saw a pale hand half buried in earth and rocks, and she immediately began scrabbling at the soil. Rather more quickly than she had been expecting, the figure of Rufus emerged. In her panic, she slapped him squarely across the face and was somewhat surprised when this miraculously appeared to revive him.

As Rufus's blue eyes opened Thayet felt an inexplicable surge of relief, and despite him being covered in earth and dust, she leant over him and pressed her lips to his, kissing him like he was her soul mate and she'd known him forever. Coming to her senses Thayet gasped when she realised what she was doing. What was she doing? She loved Jonathan didn't she? Of course she did, but then why did she feel so attracted to the man lying on the floor under a pile of rocks? It made no sense in her mind at all.

Thayet shook her head trying to clear the confusion that clouded her mind, and looked down to find Rufus staring up at her. To stop him from looking at her with that look in his eyes, she grabbed his shoulder and physically dragged him clear of the rubble. As soon as Rufus was on his feet, Thayet looked him up and down.

"By the looks of it we both need some new clothes, we're going to need them where we're going."

"Where we're going?" Rufus questioned.

"Where we're going doesn't matter, all I'm going to say is that we are going to need better clothes than the ones we have. Now, do you have any money? I have a few nobles, in my old clothes, but mostly I travel light."

Rufus frowned, confused by what Thayet was eluding to.

"I have some raw metals, but no currency. You see when you live as long as I do, currency tends to go through phases if you know what I mean.

Thayet also frowned;

"So you do have something of value that could be exchanged to buy new things?"

Rufus nodded and sighed, he could tell it was going to be a long day.

Several hours and rather a lot of gold bullion later, Thayet had purchased both herself and Rufus suitably fine garments which were currently packaged up. They also had new travelling clothes which they were both wearing. Thayet had been somewhat confused by the style of the finery that they had bought. She had no knowledge of the styles that she currently owned, and worse still, she had no idea how they had come into existence without her knowing. Thayet considered herself extremely fashion forward, and heard about all the upcoming influences into fashion before they occurred so that she could be a trend setter.

Shaking her head to clear her confusion, she turned to Rufus who was looking around their surroundings. They stood in the middle of the small town of Huntsbrook some 50 miles from Corus, this had confused Thayet even more as she had believed she was somewhere near the Golden Lake. Huntsbrook itself was not particularly special or unusual in anyway, its dirt high street containing a few small shops including their seamstresses and an inn, the White Hart. Thayet immediately found herself frowning again, how was she supposed to get from this place to Corus? She was not accustomed to being carriage or horseless, she certainly had no intention to walk to Corus, not in her new shoes for sure. Now scowling over her conundrum, she turned to Rufus who was still looking around with interest unknowingly ignoring admiring glances from many young women passing by.

"Oi,"

He turned to look at Thayet.

"We need to get to Corus, and soonish. Now, I think the best plan of action would be for you to go into that inn, and demand that you need a carriage promptly as you are in urgently needed in the capital." Thayet whispered this close to his ear to avoid anyone else over hearing.

"Ugh, remind me again why we're going to Corus?" He retorted, not understanding her logic.

At this point Thayet had to do some fast thinking.

"We are going to see some old friends of mine, who will no doubt be worried about me, but obviously I can't turn up at court covered in spiders' webs now could I? Now will you sort out the carriage, I would do it but you are my Lord and I would have very little power to do anything without you."

As Rufus stomped off, in a little bit of a huff, Thayet had yet another question assault her mind. Why had no one recognised her? Surely someone knew what the Queen looked like?

Didn't they?

_Sorry for the shorter chapter, I had a mental block :( _

_Anyway, thank you to my ongoing reviewer __**Children-of-the-Blood**__ you are a star, your seemingly endless encouragement keeps me going! And good point about the anonymous review thing, I didn't realise I'd turned it off. Ooops.  
Also thank you to __**Serenityleader**__ for your review, you're right with your point but if I slip that word into the story it becomes a whole different kind of story and I don't really want that :) but your right! _

_Thats it for now folks, next update hopefully soon but I have a busy week so I'll do my best!_

_Love to you all,_

_Steel  
xxx_


	8. Chapter 7

_Here you go! Chapter 7, a little sooner than I thought, but I just had to write it :) _

Later on when both Thayet and Rufus were in a carriage on their way to the Palace in Corus, Thayet was still pondering why she hadn't been recognised. She realised her looks had changed, but she had thought she just looked a little younger if anything. While she was puzzling over this, Rufus was pondering something else. He had realised that they had both been asleep for over 15 years, and from the way Thayet was acting, she hadn't discovered this yet.

After several hours of being jolted around in a not particularly comfortable carriage, they reached the outskirts of Corus itself. Immediately Thayet looked puzzled, this was nothing like she remembered. As they continued further through the city Thayet got more and more upset, she was glued to the window examining everything that passed by and muttering to herself.  
As they turned the corner into Market Square, Thayet gasped.  
The scene before her was utterly different from the Market she knew, the market she had often shopped in. The market itself was not as bustling as it used to be; in fact the market was verging on bare. A few shoppers milled around the semi empty market, the produce on sale was not fresh and green like it should be, but wilted and visibly old. However it did look like people were buying it, but only richly dressed servants of richer families seemed to be able to afford it.  
There were gangs of shabbily dressed children lurking around the market edges, scrounging food off the ground and out of bins, cowering from the Kings Own patrols.

Thayet frowned, why weren't these children in school? This was the exact reason she had set up the schools, so that the children would be occupied, educated and well fed. And here was all her hard work reversed. She continued to scowl as the carriage made its way up the hill towards the main gates of the Royal Palace.  
They were, of course, stopped at the gates. New arrivals were of interest to the Royal Court and their identities must be known before they would be granted residence.  
Rufus introduced himself and Thayet, who hid her face under a veil, as rich merchants who wished to pay their respects to the royals. The guards at the gate hid their confusion well, merchants rarely visited the palace, but after a few words with their commander and quartermaster the new arrivals were allowed to pass into the main courtyard where their luggage was taken to their new rooms and their horses and carriage stabled.

As Rufus helped his "wife" down from the carriage, many marvelled at why she covered her face. Was it a face of extreme beauty or of horror? They hoped they would find out. As Rufus asked for directions to their rooms, Thayet looked around at the changes within the palace itself.  
The stables at least were gleaming, fresh well kempt paint adorned the stables and there appeared to be more grooms than horses. Thayet was puzzled, how much was this costing? Must be a fortune.

As they wound their way through the passageways in the underbelly of the palace, Thayet tried to keep her eyes down but she couldn't help herself she kept glancing up. There were many golden skinned, almond eyed Yamani's wandering the corridors. Far more than when she had left a few weeks ago, how had so many come to be here so fast?  
Getting more and more confused, and feeling a headache coming on Thayet was incredibly glad when she and Rufus reached their rooms.

They had several hours before the ball began, plenty of time for Thayet to lie down and try and relax. Although try as she might, she couldn't. So instead, she decided to try to get Rufus looking more like an aristocrat than he currently did. It took some work, as he had blatantly not dressed properly for a very long time. His hair needed cutting, and he definitely needed a bath, it wasn't that he smelt particularly unpleasant, it is just not very nice to be standing next to or dancing with someone who smells like dust.

Several hours of distracting cleaning and dressing Rufus, and finally dressing herself in an cream coloured gown with navy piping, which hinted at the style of a kimono, which appeared to be at the height of fashion.  
Looking at her pale skin and bright blue eyes in the mirror, Thayet decided against applying any face paint, it would not be noticeable against her glowing eyes. However she did add some strings of pearls to her neck and some in her hair, which was coiled in a dark knot at the back of her head. Adding the finishing touches, like pearl earbobs, cream slippers and a gauzy veil, Thayet finally felt ready to leave their rooms. It was the security of the veil which gave her the most confidence, she knew that it was nowhere near opaque but her features had changed sufficiently that she felt that she would not be recognised.

As Thayet and Rufus, who was dressed smartly in tan boots, cream breeches, a navy blue shirt and a cream tunic trimmed with blue, made their way to the ball room Thayet felt some unease. Fortunately as they were soon informed, the Queen's Stairs was purely for nobles, they would have to enter the floor through a small doorway and once they had done this, Rufus stationed them both to the back of the hall.

Suddenly all the courtiers sank into deep bows and curtseys, as three figures made their way to the royal dais from where they would oversee the ball.  
When she saw the people who had now turned and sat in their thrones, Thayet's knees went weak, and she sank into Rufus' hold.  
It was not her husband on the throne... But her son. And beside him sat his regal looking wife Shinkokami.  
As Thayet's eyes searched her now nearly middle aged son's features, her eyes were drawn to the third figure who sat on the smaller throne usually reserved for the heir.  
On the throne sat a petite girl, perhaps sixteen years old. Her features were beautiful and striking at the same time. She had clear blue Conté eyes, the golden Yamani skin from her mother, and the black thick hair which could have come from anywhere, but perhaps most surprisingly of all was her nose. She had inherited Thayet's strong nose, but it did not look out of place on her face. Thayet smiled to herself, this must be her grand-daughter.  
Suddenly the herald announced.

"Presenting their Royal Majesties King Roald and Queen Shinkokami, and her Royal Highness Princess Lianokami on her first official presentation at court on her sixteenth birthday."

The Royals all nodded to the herald, and Thayet who was so caught up in the moment failed to notice for several minutes that there was someone missing. Where was Jonathan?

Thayet spun around, searching amongst the crowd for her husband; however it was this sudden, forceful movement which dislodged her veil. And as it floated to the floor and her face was revealed, she spun once again still searching.

However Roald, sitting on the dais, caught a glowing flash of blue and a perfect face that he had known so well and gasped,

"Mother?"

He may not have meant it to, but his voice carried across the whole room and every single person stopped moving. The court turned to where he was looking, and parted to allow him to see her better. All the heads turned in her direction, and Thayet felt suddenly overwhelmed.

The former King, who was sitting up on the balcony reserved for royalty, also heard his sons exclamation and looked over the edge and saw an angel.  
She stood there, looking as beautiful as she had ever been her eyes frozen on her sons face.  
He couldn't help but whisper,

"Thayet...?"

Somehow she heard him and raised her eyes to his, and all at once she was home.

_Voila guys! Chapter 7 is complete._

_I would love your opinions if you think I should leave it here or whether I should continue it further. I'm a little worried that it may get a bit stringy if I try and stretch it out for too long, but then if that's what you want I am obliged to continue. All I mean is that I have the ideas, it just seems like here could be a natural end, and anyway I'll leave it up to you guys!_

_Thank you once again to __**Children-of-the-Blood**__ for your lovely ongoing reviews, I bet you've noticed that I'm basically writing this for you? Hehe _

_Until next time folks!_

_Steel  
xxx_


	9. Chapter 8

_Wow long time no see! I know it's been basically a year since my last update but I'm hoping to have the time to give this more of a shot and pick up some more readers!_

As Thayet gazed into the deep sapphire eyes that had so enthralled her when she had first met him, Thayet felt warmth seeping through her bones once again. Her lips parted as though she were to speak, yet no sound issued from her, she was fixed to the spot unable to break the gaze that she and Jonathan shared.

Jonathan himself found himself transfixed by the woman that stared up at him, he was completely confused by her. She looked exactly like his beloved, but more like the portraits that had been commissioned many years ago and somewhat distant. Her skin was flawless, and her hair was once again black as pitch, but her eyes, there was no warmth in those icy eyes. He could not understand this woman, one thing was for certain, she was not the same woman who he had fallen in love with all those years ago, she looked like her, but she was not the same. This saddened him to the core, the loss he felt in the pit of his stomach remained, and if anything was intensified by seeing this perfect woman, but longing for the flawed one he knew.

The Court, which had remained silent for several minutes, suddenly began to whisper, and those whispers slowly grew and grew until they were loud enough to reverberate around the whole ball room. Their gaze drifted between their former King, their current King and a woman who looked like the Queen who had died many years ago. Those close to Thayet, looked at her in wonder, puzzling over how she had become so coldly beautiful, however any who got too close would recoil from Rufus' glare. Roald, who had been watching his parents with grim fascination, had finally had enough, raising his voice to a level on a par with that of a battle field general, he commanded;

"That is enough!"

Silence swept across the room, the commanding nature of his voice even broke the gaze of his parents and they turned to look at him. What his parents saw surprised them, they saw the King standing before them that would soon grace the famous portrait gallery.  
Roald's even more piercing eyes stared down everyone's in the room as he issued the next command.

"Everyone get out, the ball is over"

Queen Shinkokami, rose to her feet on the dias, echoing her husband's command in her body language. As the courtiers began to shuffle out, with mild grumbles of complaint, the Queen turned and began escorting the Princess away from the ball room followed by her ladies. However, just as the Princess was leaving by a side door, she turned and met Thayet's gaze full on and smiled briefly, her golden skin glowing and her cheeks revealing two dimples before she disappeared from view.

Jonathan watched this woman's fascination with his grand-daughter, and some hope returned to him that perhaps Thayet was still in there somewhere. He stood, while she was still examining the Queen and the Princess, and descended the stairs that led from the balcony to the ball room itself, as he emerged from behind a curtain that concealed the stairs, Thayet eyes darted to him. He walked towards her slowly, arms open slightly, whether to show that he was not a threat or because he wanted an embrace, he was not entirely sure himself.  
Tentatively, Thayet also began walking towards him, but before she knew what was happening, she was running, running into his arms. Unfortunately she forgot her own strength, and as she propelled herself into his embrace, the force of her made him step back several paces.

For Jonathan though, there was something wrong about this embrace, for a start his nearly 60 year old wife had nearly knocked him off his feet, and now that he wrapped his arms around her, she felt impossibly toned. And as she looked up at him, still in the embrace, he saw the depth of her cold eyes, right down to the love that stirred in her soul, and it frightened him a little. The love was there, but also there was extreme passion which he had not experienced since he had married her. He ran a hand through her raven hair which should have been a smoky grey by now, yet was still as dark as the night sky.

Jonathan sighed softly and turned away shaking his head, there was no possible way this could be his wife, perhaps it was some kind of sick joke someone was playing on him, perhaps it was a simulacra, at this point h conveniently forgot that his wife had no gift to speak of.  
He began walking away from Thayet, still shaking his head, his large strides crossing the room to leave through the exit that his granddaughter and daughter-in-law had left though. Just as he was about to cross the threshold, the former king paused, turning to look back at the group of people that included his son, the woman who looked like his wife, and someone he assumed was a merchant looking for some sort of reward. Jonathan's gaze lingered on Thayet, then he sadly looked down and walked away.

While this had been going on, Rufus's heart had been breaking. The woman whom he had grown to love, was acting completely differently, since she had seen the man he could only presume had once been her husband. She had not once even so much as looked at Rufus since they had got here and this had faintly annoyed him. She was the woman he had always searched for! Beautiful, intelligent, kind but also strong willed like no other. He would not give her up anytime soon, she was his!  
But as he watched the older blue eyed man turn the corner and leave the room, he saw Thayet's posture slump, and as she turned to look at him her eyes were sad and dull. Rufus felt himself powerless to resist his sirens call for him, he walked towards her with arms outstretched and she tucked herself into them and sighed at still being appreciated by at least one person.

Roald had watched the exchange between his parents silently, trying to understand how this could be. He could see his father's distrust, and his mother's despair, and knew not what to do for them. As Jonathan left the room, he turned back to his mother and her companion, watching them embrace for a moment, before clearing his throat under his breath.

"Mother, may I suggest that you return to your rooms for the time being. I need to speak with father and the rest of the family…"

As Thayet broke from Rufus' embrace to look at her son, she no longer saw the little boy and young man she once knew. The man before her was a King, husband and father, who had experienced much pain while she had been absent.  
Looking her son in the eyes, she smiled sadly and replied,

"As you wish sire"

And with that she turned abruptly and left, with Rufus trailing behind her, her quick paces causing her hair to blow out around her, and her gown to make the most subtle rustle, but which echoed in the now empty great hall.

As Roald watched them leave, he was struck with a feeling of great sadness. While his mother had been missing he had been remembering all his most positive moments with her, remembering her and his father at their prime. Somehow, his mother's return had thrown his father into stark contrast, never before had Roald realised how old he had become, and made him doubt how much longer he would still be with him.  
But with a shake of his head, he tried to banish that thought and instead turned on his heel and also left the room.

Following his father, he left through the private side exit which led up to the formal royal sitting room. This particular room was intended for when the royal family wanted to entertain nobility or other royalty, without taking them into their personal quarters. And as such the room was decorated with plush furnishings, and designed to impress.  
This was where he found his wife and father deep in conversation, Shinkokami's ever impassive face revealing very little to any onlookers but the strained tone of her voice revealed more about how she felt, his father looking fairly upset. Glancing across at his daughter, he saw that she sat with her nose in a book which he suspected was a cover act to listen in on the adult's conversation.

Pausing in the doorway, he stopped to listen for a moment, catching the strained whisper that left Jonathan's lips

"How can this be…? I simply do not understand…"

Shinko reached across to put a comforting hand on her father-in-law's shoulder, offering a small smile

"I don't understand either Pa, but you can be certain that Roald will get to the bottom of this."

At this she glanced up to look at her husband stood in the doorway, the concern evident in her eyes.

_Sorry this has taken so long to do! It's been a really busy year!  
__But anyway I have a question for you all! IF there was ever a film made of the Song of the Lioness quartet, who would you have as the cast? Particularly Thayet, Jonathan, Alanna etc.  
Please review and let me know! I will give you my thoughts in the next chapter!_

_Lots of love,_

_Steel_

_xxx_


	10. Chapter 9

_Hello again, since I have had no a SINGLE review I will not be adding my thoughts about casting and will hold out and see if anyone will actually review! _

Previously:   
_Pausing in the doorway, he stopped to listen for a moment, catching the strained whisper that left Jonathan's lips_

"_How can this be…? I simply do not understand…"_

_Shinko reached across to put a comforting hand on her father-in-law's shoulder, offering a small smile_

"_I don't understand either Pa, but you can be certain that Roald will get to the bottom of this."_

_At this she glanced up to look at her husband stood in the doorway, the concern evident in her eyes._

Roald walked across the room to the chaise which held his wife and father, sitting down beside them, he took his wife's hand. Shinko looked at her husband and squeezed his hand in a form of silent comfort. Roald turned to his daughter, who was still pretending to read her book, and stared straight at her,

"Lian, I think it is time for you to go to your chambers and get ready for bed…"

Lian looked up at her father and her sapphire eyes glinted with defiance, which was certainly not something she had inherited from her mother, before saying in a high but musical voice;

"But Papa! It's my birthday! You promised that there would be fireworks and cake, and that I could stay up as late as I wanted and dance all night!"

"Lianokami, no arguments! Your Grand-Papa, Mother and I need some time to talk. We will reschedule your ball for next week, and you can have all of that then, ok?"

Roald was known for being of extremely placid nature, and the fact that he raised his voice somewhat implied to Lian that today was not the day to trifle with her father.  
With a resigned nod, she bowed to both her parents and trotted over to her grandfather to kiss him on both cheeks.

"Thank you for my gifts Grand-Papa, I love my horse and I hope you will be able to come watch me ride her soon."

When addressed by his grand-daughter, he looked up into her sapphire eyes, so like his own, and admired her beautiful face. There was no doubt that she was beautiful, the combination of Roald and Shinko was evident. Her golden skin highlighted her sapphire eyes and her cascades of black hair just emphasised her looks further. And when he smiled at her, he was rewarded with a dimpled smile in return.

"You're very welcome Li-li, I will most certainly look forward to it. Now off to bed"

Jonathan reached up to stroke her cheek, just before she moved away and swept out of the room.  
He watched her go with a sadness, and as he turned to face his son and daughter-in-law, he saw the sadness in their faces as well. It was at that point that the façade he was wearing broke down, he looked at his son with tortured eyes…

"What am I going to do? What do I do? Is it her, really her?"

Roald was torn between his wife and his father, reluctantly he looked at Shinko and nodded silently, squeezing her hand. With this Shinko rose elegantly with a rustle of silk, she curtsied both to her husband and her father-in-law, before departing the room in the same fashion as Lian.  
After Shinko's departure, silence engulfed the room and both men seemed reluctant to break it. The silence stretched for many minutes, until Roald finally said

"It is her, Da…"

Jonathan looked him, hope filling his eyes.

Meanwhile, in their assigned chambers, Thayet paced back and forth virtually creating ruts in the wooden floor where she walked. Rufus watched her from the safety of the bed, she had been in a foul mood since their return from the great hall, and he was reluctant to do anything to further anger her. As she paced Thayet muttered to herself, under her breath, her disbelief. Even to Rufus' finely tuned hearing, he couldn't make it out exactly what she was saying. He suspected it was something to do with the way that they had been somewhat unceremoniously dismissed by the royals, and Thayet had not been accepted back by the former king.  
Watching her pace, Rufus got angry, how dare they ignore her so? Yes, it was probably hard on them, but what about her? It was at this stage that he thought back to the day when he had claimed her as his own. Was he wrong to have done so? He had thought that she was for the taking; there was no ring on her finger, no crown on her head!

While Rufus was thinking, and Thayet was pacing, there was a quiet knock on the door.

Both of them froze, just their eyes moving to look at each other. Slowly, Rufus rose from the bed and walked relatively slowly to the door, while Thayet settled herself in a very ladylike posture on the chair in the corner. Rufus lifted the wrought iron latch to admit the golden clad Queen Shinkokami.  
Thayet rose in a blur and sank into the lowest curtsey she could muster while gesturing for Rufus to bow, which after a split second he did.

"Your Majesty.." Thayet breathed.

Shinkokami inclined her imperious head towards both Thayet and Rufus, a signal that they could stop curtseying and bowing. As Thayet rose from her curtsey, she saw the Queen's face for the first time close up. Her beauty had not lessened in the years since Thayet had last seen her, the only visible difference were the small wrinkles around her kind brown almond-shaped eyes. Her skin was still a creamy gold, and there were a few threads of white in her jet hair despite the fact she was probably nearing 40.

"Is it truly you? Have you returned….?"

"Yes Shinko it really is me! Why will no one believe it? Do you not remember our early morning glaive practices? It was you who taught me to use the _naginta_."

Suddenly the Queen's face became a lot less guarded, the corners of her eyes crinkled as the smile broke across her face.

"I knew in my heart it was you! But where have you been…?" Her sudden joy was mixed with an extreme sadness that her mother-in-law had been absent for so long, missing much of the young princess' life. She looked away sadly, "How could you?"

Thayet's icy blue eyes turned even glassier, and turned into Rufus' chest, when she realised that her family did not hate her for leaving at all. They resented her leaving instead, which was far worse.

_Short chapter as a filler, because I had already written it and was expecting at least a few reviewers to drive me on to write more :( If you like it and want me to write more please give me a review with your thoughts whether you like it or not, what suggestions you have… etc. Your cast ideas are also welcomed! _

_So press the link at the bottom and please review!_

_Love,_

_Steel_

_xxx_


End file.
